We are delighted to announce the winners of the 1st Last Chance to Paint Awards! The awards are proudly sponsored by Zazzle.co.uk. Zazzle create custom made products featuring art. “Our mission is to become The Make Engine™ to give people the power to make anything imaginable.”
With 27 children and a primary school group being selected as the winners from varying age categories (3-5, 6-8, 9-12,13-16, Group, and Tribal) they represented countries across the globe including the UK, Hong Kong, Borneo, and Brazil.
Launched in September 2019, led by UK contemporary artist John Dyer and in collaboration with the Eden Project and Born Free, school children were invited to submit their own piece of art inspired by John Dyer’s expeditions to the Amazon rainforest and Borneo rainforest and the people, plants and animals that he painted. It was part of a wider Last Chance to Paint project with primary schools throughout the UK, and further afield, offering pupils the chance to explore tribal culture, interact with John and learn about the rainforest.
So far John has painted live with the Yawanawá tribe in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil (Chapter 1: Procreate Spirit of the Rainforest) and visited critically endangered Bornean orangutans (Chapter 2: Innova Art Person of the Forest). The project aims to encourage children to form a personal connection to an endangered environment and the wildlife that lives there.
The competition received over 400 entries with over 230 schools in 23 countries registering with the project, but it was up to the judges – Virginia McKenna OBE (Co-Founder of Born Free), John Dyer (Artist in Residence for the Eden project & Founder of Last Chance to Paint), Sir Tim Smit KBE (Co-Founder of the Eden Project), Kate Stephenson (Education Editor for National Geographic Kids Magazine), and Matilda Gollon (International Marketing Manager at the competition’s sponsors Zazzle) to pick the winners.
The winners each received a selection of personalised gifts from award sponsor Zazzle (www.zazzle.co.uk), custom made with their own artwork, along with a Born Free goodie bag and a signed print from artist John Dyer, courtesy of The John Dyer Gallery.
“Making Art is one of the fundamental things that makes us human and it is built into us all”, explained John Dyer.“Humans have celebrated and recorded what is important in the natural world for tens of thousands of years and it is still a powerful and personal way to connect to the world around us and what we all stand to lose. I’m thrilled to see so many young artists, from all over the world, taking the time to celebrate the beauty and wonder of the Amazon and Borneo rainforests.
“Our Last Chance to Paint judges have selected a stunning variety of work that showcases children’s art from the Yawanawá tribe in the Amazon and the Penan tribe in Borneo alongside art from China, the UK and the United Arab Emirates. Exquisite watercolours, vibrant wax resists, acrylic canvas, poster paints and collage have all been used to great effect and I am thrilled at the standard of the work and proud to celebrate the children’s art and their response to Last Chance to Paint.”
Virginia McKenna, added: “All my life I have been in awe of artists. Young or old, it makes no difference. The ability, with paintbrush or pencil, to bring a person, an animal, or a scene to life, is simply magic! How fortunate we are to see these fascinating images, created by such talented young people- for me they are all winners.”
All of the winners have been contacted personally by artist John Dyer and we will be sending out the prizes during the next two weeks.
We are now receiving art for the 2nd Last Chance to Paint awards, so keep on painting!
View all the winners on the WorldGallery.online now:
Age 3-5: Anika (age 5) – UK Cheung (age 4) – Hong Kong Lowen (age 5) – UK Milan (age 3) – UK Phoebe (age 5) – UK Raphael (age 4) – UK
Zazzle.co.uk created custom art mugs for the age 3 to 5 children with their artwork on.
Age 6-8: Fox (age 7) – UK Isobel (age 7) – UK Josef (age 7) – UK Laurie (age 7) – UK Wong (age 8) – Hong Kong Ysella (age 7) – UK
Zazzle.co.uk created custom pencil cases for the age 6 to 8 children with their artwork on.
Age 9-12: Elsa (age 10) – UK Giulia (age 9) – United Arab Emirates Karri (age 10) – UK Mathilda (age 10) – UK Mok (age 11) – Hong Kong Ruby (age 10) – UK Tallulah (age 11) – UK
Zazzle.co.uk created custom wallets for the age 9 to 12 children with their artwork on.
Age 13-16: Chi (age 15) – Hong Kong Darcy (age 13) – UK Kayleigh (age 16) – UK Liang (age 16) – Hong Kong Lo (age 16) – Hong Kong Matthew – UK
Zazzle.co.uk created custom note books for the age 13 to 16 children with their artwork on.
Group: Year 2 from Winscombe Primary School, UK
Zazzle.co.uk created a custom clock for the classroom at Winscombe Primary school featuring the children’s artwork.
Tribal children: Pecuruni Yawanawá – Brazil Roshania Penan – Borneo
Zazzle.co.uk created custom art mugs for the winning tribal children in the Amazon and Borneo rainforests featuring their own art.